Propeller



C. H., W. H. AND V. H. LEINWEBER AND A. ZEMANN.

PROPELLER.

APPLICATION FILED nsc.23. 1918.

1,372,441. v Patented Mar. 22, 1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEEI l.

C. H., W. H. AND V. H( LEINWEIBERIAND A. ZEMANN. PROPELLER.

` APPLICATION FILED DEC-23,1918- I 1,372,441 4 Patented Mar. 22, 1921.

UNITED sTATEs PATENT OFFICE.I

CURTIS vII. LEINWEBER, WILLIAM II. LEINWEBER, VICTOR II. LEINWEBER, AND

. ANTON zEIIANN, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, AssIeNoRs To CONTINENTAL AIR CRAFT a TRANSPORTATION COMPANY, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION 'or ARIZONA.

PROPELLER.

ASpecification of Letters Patent. l

Patented Mar. 22, 1921.

Application 1ed December 23, 1918. Serial No. 267,946.

To aZZ whom t may concern:

Our invention relates to screw propellers for use in connection with airplanes, and other air crafts.

It is the object of our invention to provide a screw propeller of this type, so designed as to exert a greater thrust than any of the forms heretofore known, but which at the' same time requires lesspower to operate than any of the old forms. It is a further object of our invention to p-rovide a screw propeller of this type so designed as to exert a thrust evenly distributed from the tip to the hub of the propeller. Another object is to provide a propeller in which all the parts from the hub to the tip are substantially evenly active in producing the driving thrust. p

The above and other features of invention, advantages and capabilities will -become apparent from a detailed description of the accompanying drawings, in which we have illustrated a propeller embodying one form of -our invention, but the construction there shown is to be understood as illustrative only, and not as dening the limits of our invention.

In Vthe drawings:

Figure 1 shows a side elevational view of a propeller embodying one form of our invention.

Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view of the same,

and

Fig. 3 is' a diagrammatic vlew showing varlous cross-sections taken' on the dotted lines of Fig. 2, to illustrate the gradual change in the Ipitch of the propeller from the y tip to the'hub.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of our improved propeller. L

In the ropellers now in use practically all the drlving thrust is produced near the endsv or tips of the propeller blades, which .form has its inherent objections, among others, that b producing practically all the thrust near t e tips or ends of the blades,

`twelve e' ual parts,

there isa tendency to bend the blades at an intermediate point between the ends. and hub, which is unsatisfactory and undesirable, and frequently causes breakage. Moreover in the old form considerably more than half of theblade is practically inactive, so far as producing a driving thrust is concerned, that is, from the hub to a point near the center of the blade. With, our invention andas illustrated in the accompanying drawing, the entire blade from the hub to the tip is active and exerts a driving thrust driving the air away from and at right angles to the propeller in a solid ring coextensive with vthe propeller blades substantially uniform -from the hub to the tip. It

is, of course, obvious that the portions of the blade lnear the hub travel at a consid erably less velocity than the outer portions of the blade. Therefore, in our invention We have provided a propeller having blades with a pitch to compensate or rather to increase the workings of the slow moving parts to correspond with the fast moving parts, in such a way as to actively distribute the thrust throughout the entireblade so as'to drive the air directly away from the propeller in a solid ring coextensive with the propeller blades.

Referring to the drawing in detail:

The propeller consists of a 'hub 1, with integrally formed blades 2 and 3, the entire structure of which may be constructed of wood, metal or any other suitable material. For a better understanding we may say that the propeller illustrated in the drawings is provided with twelve foot blades, and in order to ive a clear understanding OI` the varying pltch of the blade from the hub to the tip, we have divided the blade into as shown by the dotted lines in igs. 2 and 3, which parts we have indicated by the reference characters a, b, c,

. d, e, f, g, h, i, y', and 7c; The pitch ranges is in semi-spiral form, and is slightly cupped or dished, as better illustrated in Fig.. 3. This semi-spiral and cupped iormatlon forms a pocket for the air, and tends to'ma terially increase the driving force or thrust ot the propeller. It will be noticed that the propeller is so designed that the blades are active and exert a thrust throughout from the tip to thehub. It will be noticed that section la, which in the illustration shown has the pitch of sixty-two degrees fifteen minutes, moves at a less velocity than the adjacent section, so that in order to give it substantially the saine driving power or thrust it has a greater pitch than the adjacent section j, which has practically fortytwo degrees twenty minutes. and so on to the tip the pitch gradually decreases until it reaches practically four degrees forty minutes in section a. Of course it will be clearly understood that this particular range of pitch is not necessary, that is. our invention is not limited to this particular range of pitch, but various ranges may be tilized. Our invention contemplates as (ne of the important features. a propeller blade having such a range of pitch from the tip to the hub as to make the blade throughout active, in exerting a driving power or thrust. Another feature of our propeller is that the blades are of semi-spiral contour which facilitates the screw action of the propeller when in operation. It is also to be noted that the shape or' the blades of our propeller, and especially so adjacent the hub, closely follow that of a wing of a bird. This together with the other features pointed out heretofore result in a greater suction on one side of the blade, and greater compression of the air adjacent the hub, and the exertion on the lower or rearward side of the propeller of a direct and uniform pressure or thrust throughout the entire blade.

In order to increase the drivino` power or thrust of the blades near the hat, in addition to increasing the pitch through those sections, we also make that portion of theA blades wider than the ortion near the tip, as best shown at 5 in i 2, which wider driving surface increases t e thrust at those points, and tendsto assist in equalizing the thrust throughout the blade. For the sake of clearness we have indicatedin Fig. 3 the pitch of the different sections from the tip to the hub, in the particular embodiment shown.

Having thus described our invention. what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

.1. An air propeller having a diierent pitch at each lon itudinally spaced point of the blade, the e ective working portion of the blade extending to the hub, the pitch bein greatest at the hub, whereby to give a su sta-ntially equal thrust throughout the entire blade from ti to hub.

2. An' air propel er having a dilerent pitch at each longitudinally spaced point of thel blade, said pitch gradually increasing from the tip toward the hub, and being greatest at the hub, the blade being cupshaped at the hub and of greatest width close up to the hub, so as to substantially equally distribute the thrust throughout the entire propeller from tip to hub.

i5. An air propeller provided with a wing shaped blade having a pitch increasingly greater at each lon itudinally spaced point from the tip to theub so as to give a substantially equal thrust throughout the cntire blade. said blade also increasing in eliective width from the tip up to the hub.

L In an air propeller a blade of greater width at the hub than at the tip, said blade being cupshaped at the hub, at which point the pitch is greatest to frive a substantially equal thrust from tip tobhub.

5. An air ropeller blade of wing shape adjacent the Hub and having a continuously increasing pitch from tip lo hub, the width and pitch being greatest at the hub, to give a greater suction on one side of the propeller and to drive the air backward on the other. with equal thrust from tip t0 hub.

l5. A propeller for air-crafts provided with a drivin surface having a different pitch at each eongitudinally spaced point, said surface being of greatest width and pitch at the hub, to exert a direct and uniform pressure or thrust throughout the entire blade from tip to hub.

T. A propeller for air-crafts having a blade of substantial width at the tip, the angle of transverse inclination of the blade gradually increasing from tip to hub, the rate of increase being greater as the hub is approached, the greatest pitch being at the hub. the effective width of the blade also increasing as the hub is approached and being greatest at the hub, to produce a substantially equal thrust throughout the entire blade from tip to hub.

8. A propeller for air-crafts having a blade of substantial width at the tip, the angle of transverse inclination of the blade gradually increasing from tip to hub, the rate of increase being greater as the hub is approached, the greatest pitch being at the hub, the effective width of the blade also increasing as the hub is approached and be- ;ng greatest at the hub, said blade having a cupped working face at and adjacent the hub, to produce a substantially equal thrust throughout the entire blade from tip to hub.

ln witness whereof, we hereunto subscribe our names to this specification in the presence of two witnesses.

CURTIS H. LEINVVEBER. WILLIAM H. LEINXVEBER. VICTOR H. LEINVVEBER. .IN TON ZEMANN. Witnesses:

EDITH OLsoN JLARENCE J. r'rUs.

arf-w 

